Review: 2 Outs in the 9th Inning/ 9회말 2아웃
okayy just finished this drama over the weekend, and personally i found it great. yet another super under-rated drama (overshadowed, as usual, by coffee prince) definitely worth watching, especially if you're feeling down and well, are in dire need of some light-hearted entertainment (:
(bit of background: the 9th inning is the last round of a baseball match, with 2 outs meaning that a batter only has one chance left before his turn is declared as a strike. this is in reference to what hong nan-hee views as her last shot at her career and at love, as she turns the big 3-0.)
soo ae (love letter, april kiss, the sea emperor) stars as hong nan-hee, an unmarried (but dating) 30 year old editor who wants nothing more to become a published author. unfortunately, she isn't really talented at writing, but it's the only thing she wants to do. her mother disapproves of this since she's been writing for so many years without any visible results, so nan-hee eventually moves out of her house and in with her best friend of 30 years, byon hyung-tae.
byon hyung-tae, played by lee jung-jin (love story in harvard, april kiss), is tall, good-looking, and extremely attractive to the throngs of women who throw themselves at him. yet nan-hee has seen the ugly side of him because they grew up together, and they treat each other as nothing more than buddies, immune to the attraction that draws members of the opposite gender together. hyung-tae has loved only once, and is haunted by a failed relationship from 3 years ago, particularly since his ex's pictures are plastered all over billboards in seoul. hwang ji-hyun (witch yoo-hee) plays yoon sung-ah, hyung-tae's ex-girlfriend.
nan-hee is currently dating an extremely talented baseball player 9 years her junior (hence the link to baseball and its continued metaphors throughout the show), kim jung-joo (lee sung-tae), who's super devoted to her. his love for nan-hee starts to move her, and she starts believing that their relationship may actually work out. reality, however, forces them to reconsider their goals in life by presenting them the many many difficulties that their gaping age difference inevitably holds.
i love how the script keeps the story really grounded, and the characters are faced by constraints that everyone faces. any idiot will be able to surmise that nan-hee and hyung-tae will eventually fall in love (hello, they are the leads, and this is a korean drama -_-), but what i really like about this drama is how real their relationship is. their friendship is a completely comfortable one (kudos, no doubt, to soo ae's and lee jung-jin's FLAWLESS chemistry. i'd be very surprised if they weren't great friends in real life.), but they do recognise that when things get complicated, they turn very awkward as well. i love how they each understand the other SO WELL, not in the cheesy psychic way, in the soulmates kind of way. and the little gestures that show their care for each other are so moving in their normality.
the dialogues in the show are full of gems, and some hidden meanings that gradually unravel towards the end. when you realise what they actually mean you'll be like 'woahh! omg so sweet' and you'll be very happy. haha i sound like i'm telling you what to think, but trust me, you'll feel this way. i really really love their lines ((((:
the cinematography of this show is stunning, and when combined with the wonderfully happy soundtrack creates a light-spirited mood that makes me feel like, well, i can fly. HAHA i hope you know what i mean. it's kind of an artsy show (the dialogue definitely isn't lame), something like dalja's spring, but without as much emphasis on lcn-ism. sighhh
the small characters have really nice stories as well, mostly bittersweet, but all very very meaningful. oh yes hyun bin's mother's secretary from kim sam-soon is also in this show! she was kang ji-hwan's mother in capital scandal, and here she's back to being funny (but of course nothing can beat her kim sam-soon performance wow that was priceless) omg she really very versatile leh. but my greatest fear is that i'll end up like her.. 40 and.. sighhh ):
my only gripe would be that the supporting actors can't really act, esp hwang ji-hyun (though i may be biased against her because she's hyun bin's ex, haha. demmit.) but she appears only in episode 10, so no worries. before that she's just a flashback HA. okay la her character isn't scheming or evil or whatever, but her face and acting is very plastic and it gets on my nerves hahahaha okay i shall stop it.
also the show gets a little drawn-out somewhere before the end, but quickly picks up pace again. it's not something you can watch at a go, so just take your time to savour the experience, like reading a good book slowly. you'll definitely enjoy watching this drama as much as i did (:
my fave pic of them!! (:
and this too! haha so cute right :D
the trailer! feat. the theme song, fly again by byul. (who also sang i think i from the soundtrack of full house)
Click to viewit's also a lot more comedic than i've described it to be, but i don't want to go into the details of describing the funny scenes because er they are usually not as funny in words -_- aiya the trailer is a very accurate representation of the show, if you like what you see then just watch it la.
